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| TPWD News Release 20051003d |
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[ Note: This item is more than nine years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ]
[ General Media Contact: Business Hours, 512-389-4406 ]
Oct. 3, 2005
TPWD Game Warden Field Notes
The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.
Know What You're Shooting -- A man from Kerns shot an immature bald eagle recently, stating he thought it was a hawk. The violator searched for the bird and it was found still alive 1-2 hours after the initial shot. Realizing it was a bald eagle, the violator then expressed some sympathy towards the animal and took it to the local rehab facility. The facility then contacted a Game Warden and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The shooter ended up retracted his story about finding the bird injured on his property to actually shooting the bird on his property. The eagle died two days later. Texas Parks and Wildlife was awarded restitution of $6,000 for the value of the bird.
Special Unit Round-Up -- The Marine Theft Unit completed FY05 with 32 PWCs, 36 boats, 47 trailers, and 32 motors being seized and worked more than 140 cases this year. The Covert Unit worked 12 ongoing cases, completing six of those, with three more that have charges pending. Cases ranged from felony hunting violations and sale of fish shocking devices, to sale of protected fish. The Wildlife Unit worked 26 cases ranging from breeder violations, illegal sale of black bear and alligators to hunting lease fraud. Game Wardens across the state assisted in concluding the largest case in Special Operations history. In that case, which involved the darting and selling of wild deer, fines totaled more than $100,000.
Bait and Pay -- A Bell County Warden located piles of milo in a field after an anonymous caller alleged it was being dove hunted. Hunters showed up, and they proceeded to take birds over the area. The game warden made contact after observing their hunt for awhile. Seven citations were issued for hunting over the baited area and 25 birds were seized. The hunters admitted that it had been baited for more than a month and that approximately 1,500 to 2,000 pounds had been spread out during that time.
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